Chennai: Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju is having a year to remember, with 2024 taking him to greater heights than ever before.
After almost missing out on the 2024 FIDE Candidates, Gukesh not only managed to participate but also went on to win the event, setting up a grand slam encounter against reigning world champion Ding Liren for the title.
Additionally, he led India to winning a historic gold medal at the recently concluded Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary.
The 17-year-old chess prodigy from India put on a stellar show at the Olympiad, winning eight games and drawing two in his ten matches.
Speaking to the reporters at an event in Chennai, Gukesh was happy with his form and the way he has been performing so far.
“I was feeling good, especially in this Olympiads, I played good chess and the result showed. I am quite happy, and I think I am doing the right things, and I plan to continue this,” he said.
Preparations for the World Championships
The ultimate showdown for Gukesh would be the upcoming World Championships match with Ding Liren, for the title of world champion.
Set to be played between November 25 and December 13, it is a best of 14 games and the winner will be crowned as world champion.
Speaking about the finals, Gukesh seemed fairly relaxed and quite optimistic regarding his preparations for the grand finale.
“I still have a lot of areas to improve, I will rest a bit and then I will work on strengthening both physical and mental aspects of my game, along with training, in the lead-up to the world championships,” he said.
Incidentally, Gukesh was supposed to play Ding Liren at the Olympiads but the latter pulled out at the eleventh hour and Gukesh played Wei Yi, whom he defeated and ensured India secured an important win in the tournament.
“I was supposed to play Liren. I thought we would play but he lost his previous match and, understandably, he wanted to recover after a defeat in his previous round. I am sure he will come to Singapore with a lot of fighting spirit and we will have a lot of exciting matches,” he added.
When asked about which was his favorite encounter in the Olympiad, Gukesh referred to the win against Wei Yi as the one he relished the most.
“That (win against Wei) was probably the victory I enjoyed the most,” he said.
It was a 6-hour battle that ended in Gukesh’s favor after he capitalized on a wrong move by the Chinese, giving India an important victory.
Gukesh also spoke about the role played by his former coach, GM Vishnu Prasanna, and the way he shaped his career during his formative years.
“I started under Vishnu sir when I was 11 years old, so I have known him for seven years now. I have learned a lot from him. We haven’t worked together in the last two years but he and Ragavi (Vishnu, wife, also a chess player) have been a huge support to me. They are like my best friends, we stay in touch and meet often. I am glad to have such support, to whom I can talk,” Gukesh said.
While the rest of the chess players will feature in the upcoming Global Chess League, set to take place in London between 3rd October and 12th October, Gukesh will not feature in the event, as he will begin his preparation for the World Championships.
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